


Tree

by corbeod



Series: Magic AU Drabbles [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 23:24:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14412726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corbeod/pseuds/corbeod
Summary: Riseki travels to a tree.





	Tree

_ “Are you coming to the tree?” _

I wonder what state I had to be in to agree to this. This path has long since become gray and foggy, and rocks dig into my feet every few steps. I can almost see the blinding light of civilization if I look back over my shoulder. I wonder if this will be worth it.

_ Kita-san nods slightly with his words, "Yes, it is a good time. I've come to be proud of everyone in the group. Very proud." _

_ Behind him, Oomimi-san almost looks like he’s smiling and Ojiro-san seems ready to cry. Akagi-san gives him a side hug, and I swear Kita-san mutters, “Not you.” But Akagi-san doesn’t look the least bit upset. _

There’s a cottage on the left side of the road. I think this is the one Akagi-san said is his. I imagined it would be a small, one-story building with an outhouse not too far off. But it looks more like a two story, and there’s no outhouse in sight. In one of the windows, I can see his mother cooking dinner. I consider knocking on her door to ask for food, but she catches me watching and performs a quick spell. The kitchen now looks deserted except for the flickering fire below her cauldron. I wonder if Akagi-san can do this kind of magic too.

_ Kita-san introduces himself as a healer. He says the rest of his family are healers as well and he wants to continue the family tradition. He got a late start to learning magic, but Ojiro-san says he works hard and will go far. I guess all the sigils on his skin and the light parts of his hair are from a lineage of mages. _

_ Oomimi-san and Ojiro-san want to be elementalists but haven’t decided what element they want to specialize in. Both look like regular people - no sigils, no weird hair, and a little bit of acne. Oomimi-san says only his mother is a mage, and Ojiro-san’s parents don’t approve of them at all. _

_ Akagi-san doesn’t say anything on the matter. He nods at things and adds input, but keeps quiet about himself and his family. I assume he’s from a very long line of mages. His left eye is missing and the area around it looks severely burnt and blackened. A large sigil covers his right eye and smaller ones cover the back of his hands. _

I hurry forward until the cottage is far out of sight. I set up camp on the side of the road. It’s nothing more than a small tent and fire. So I stare at the dull constellations until the need for sleep is too much to ignore and I retreat for the night.

* * *

 

The fog has cleared when I finally crawl out of my tent. It’s almost midday so I eat a light breakfast - it’s really all I can afford with very little food - and pack up. Akagi-san said that seeing his house meant I was more than halfway there, so I speed for the tree and, I make it by late afternoon.

The tree sure is grand. I could see it long before it was close enough to bolt for. The leaves droop over to provide a much needed shade. It’s like a deity, protecting weary travelers from an angry sun deity. I wonder if it would be alright to pray to it. Laughter and chatter come through the leaves. I imagine these are the worshippers or even minor deities who bow to the benevolent tree.

I see Kita-san exit the safety of the leaves. He watches me sprint the remaining distance, journal in hand, and I sort of feel like I’m being analyzed. Like if I don’t run correctly he’ll eject me from the group.

“Welcome, Riseki,” Kita-san says and writes something in his journal. It looks like one of the brown leather, yellow-paged books that the anti-magers carry around with them whenever they mock mages or the Academy.

“Oh! He’s here,” comes a voice that sort of reminds me of a guy I met on the way here. What was his name? Okinawa? That doesn’t sound right…Is it bad that I can’t remember it? I wonder if he’ll come after me if I can’t remember it. I mean, the guy seemed pretty powerful, and his friend looked pretty strong. Oh no I’m gonna  _ die _ . I can’t even remember his name, what a-

Akagi-san hits my back. “C’mon! Breathe! You look like you’re about to have a heart attack.”

I follow him into the leaves, and I really have to wonder if the tree is actually a benevolent deity. Few of worshippers look very nice.

“Welcome to the tree,” says a boy who looks as though he just woke up, “They say a man was hung here for killing three.”

Honestly, I should’ve just stuck to making and polishing shoes.

**Author's Note:**

> i need to write something for this au where magic usage is the main focus
> 
> find me on [tumblr](https://www.shibayvki.tumblr.com)!


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